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I'm conflicted so I will pose my issue to the TLS community and hope some of you can offer guidance.

I would like to go into patent prosecution. I have a bachelors in Biomedical Engineering from a good local school with a low GPA. I attended a T4 law school and did well enough (top 10%) to transfer into another local T1 school. The T4 school during the semester allowed me to apply for a for-credit externship with an in-house patent department of a national company. I was selected for the externship with the company but they have strong ties to my T4. I do not think they will let me take my externship with me to the T1 school. So, stay at the T4 and get this excellent patent prosecution internship or go to the T1 and lose the internship?

I'm all ears.

Id ask your externship. they say, go to the T1 - could be better for the externship company in the long run if you have a better degree.

the externship is for 1 semester only. they made that clear during the interview. they are trying to give people a chance to have strong work experience (probably because it is a T4 school).

How likely is the internship to lead to post-graduation employment? I think that you should be an important consideration. Also, I think transferring to schools outside of the T-14 becomes significantly less meaningful, so you should probably stay in either case. Also, ask your current school for some $$ in light of the acceptance. Those schools don't place well to begin with, and don't want to lose one of the few students who may actually secure employment. No one is transferring in from the T5/T6 to take your spot and land a job to help the school.

How many interviews did you get at the Loyola Patent Fair?

Likelihood of internship leading to employment with this company is close to 0% I would say (also its in-house). They are just providing a semester of exposure to the patent field and really strong work experience. I think that this experience however, will really give me a chance to get a job with a firm after (as I currently have no experience).

Do you have any idea when would be a good time to ask for $$ from the T4, I'm sure the earlier the better but I have heard that when you do this generally they want your answer very quickly.

@Desert Fox: none I did not go to the Loyola Patent Fair, I found out about it after the deadline to register.

honestly, target mailing your T1 region and home region to intern some where else over the summer and transfer.

t1 degree and legit IP skills would be marketable.


I am not saying that a t4 degree means you are beat, thats not the case. But, it is important to remember you cannot shake your degree. In this economy id rather take the T1, but that might depend on ur personal career goals

Lycurgus wrote:Likelihood of internship leading to employment with this company is close to 0% I would say (also its in-house). They are just providing a semester of exposure to the patent field and really strong work experience. I think that this experience however, will really give me a chance to get a job with a firm after (as I currently have no experience).

Do you have any idea when would be a good time to ask for $$ from the T4, I'm sure the earlier the better but I have heard that when you do this generally they want your answer very quickly.

@Desert Fox: none I did not go to the Loyola Patent Fair, I found out about it after the deadline to register.

Not doing the fair was stupid. It's the best way to get a patent job.

It's stupid to not be informed about recruiting.

Yes and I have been kicking myself in the ass, so now I have to sweat to try and land a job (thus the point of this thread). Also I checked and I can also interview at the end of my 2nd year with the patent fair.

Desert Fox wrote:It's stupid to not be informed about recruiting.

Kinda harsh, but true. I could strangle a friend of mine who "missed" the application deadline for a job at a better office than the one she's currently at simply because she procrastinated to when she thought the deadline was and then "OOPS, I WAS WRONG ABOUT THE DEADLINE!"

It's a stupid mistake because it's entirely preventable. Try not to miss the deadline to register for the Bar (and yes, I know someone else who miraculously accomplished that one).

sd5289 wrote:

Desert Fox wrote:It's stupid to not be informed about recruiting.

Kinda harsh, but true. I could strangle a friend of mine who "missed" the application deadline for a job at a better office than the one she's currently at simply because she procrastinated to when she thought the deadline was and then "OOPS, I WAS WRONG ABOUT THE DEADLINE!"

It's a stupid mistake because it's entirely preventable. Try not to miss the deadline to register for the Bar (and yes, I know someone else who miraculously accomplished that one).

What is done is done, and mulling over it is not going to serve any purpose for me. Perhaps others can learn from my mistake. I was wrapped up in my transfer process, which made it difficult to focus on my job search. Your criticisms are noted.

Without knowing the schools in question, transfer. But, remember, garbage in, garbage out. Need more info.